the Most Disturbing Theme Park Incident [Vol. 3] Iceberg

[Music] Prepare for a journey. A new theme park beyond belief. Beyond anything you've experienced before.

22 theme park disasters. Seven levels. We'll start at the top with the cases you may have heard about.

Tragic yet not forgotten. As we go deeper, however, the stories become more gruesome, the details more disturbing, the consequences far more severe. Let's start at the tip of the iceberg.

Level one, Canyon River Ride Rapids at Hershey Park. May 1987 was an exciting time for Hershey Park in Pennsylvania. Nearly 10 years after the iconic Scooper Duper Looper, a major new attraction was unveiled, the Canyon River Rapids.

Crowds showed up to try it out. But the excitement didn't last long. Just 2 weeks after its grand opening on May 23rd, the promise of a fun ride turned to terror when one of the rafts suddenly flipped over, throwing all six of its riders into the churning water below.

Canyon River Rapids was designed to provide riders with a thrilling, unpredictable river ride experience. It sent spinning six-person rafts careening down a 1700 ft course of twisting currents and waterfalls. Generally, it was considered a harmless, bumpy ride, and its only official caution was, "You will get soaked on this ride.

" But on that day, however, the threat was far greater than just getting wet. About halfway through the ride, one of the rafts tipped and overturned. Six passengers, including two adults and four kids, were thrown into the waters.

They were swept along by the strong current, struggling to stay above water as ride operators and emergency responders rushed in. All six sustained injuries ranging from minor cuts and bruises to more serious scrapes and near drowning experiences, but thankfully everyone survived. Later, investigators pieced together what caused the accident.

A combination of factors contributed to the overturn. The speed of the water flow, the uneven weight distribution of the passengers, and a design flaw in the canyon itself. Apparently, the raft had hit a vast stretch of the waterway and got caught sideways in the current, which is what caused it to flip.

Hershey Park shut the ride down immediately for safety inspections and some modifications. They narrowed down the dangerous wide section and adjusted the water flow. Additionally, staff were stationed along the route to keep a closer eye on the rafts.

Runaway Mine Train. For the families waiting in line for the Runaway Mine Train, it was just another fun and memorable ride. However, on July 20th, 2006, what should have been a safe ride turned into a disaster.

20 people were injured when a malfunction caused the train to break loose, leading to the crash. The Runaway Mine Train is a family-friendly roller coaster and the oldest in operation, having been in operation since 1992. The ride was advertised as an adrenaline booster, a wild train that's out of control and getting faster every second.

That day, it actually was, just not in the way anyone expected. Carrying 46 passengers, the train was climbing up a lift hill when one of the couplings snapped. The front cars then separated from the rest of the ride and rolled backwards down the track, slamming into the rest of the train inside the tunnel.

Six of the passengers were sent to the hospital. Two of them were airlifted to the trauma unit of North Staferture Hospital due to spinal damage and internal injuries. More than 20 others had bruises, cuts, and were shot.

Fortunately, their injuries were not fatal. The park managers described the crash as an isolated incident. There's been no history of problems on the Runaway Mine Train of of the sort that's happened today.

Uh and uh you know, it's a it's a very popular ride. We're not the only park with one. Uh and we've had no history of problems with it.

But the reality of the situation spoke for itself. The ride was then shut down for investigation, but people were left wondering if an accident could happen on a familyfriendly coaster, what about the bigger, scarier rides? Turns out they had a reason to worry.

Less than 10 years later, another Alton Towers ride would make headlines again, only this time it was worse. Level two, feedback at Worlds of Wonder India. In every amusement park, the rules are the same.

Don't ride if you've got heart problems, back or neck pain, or a nervous condition. Pregnant women are told to stay away. And the golden rule, wear your belts and harnesses all the time.

Hey, I got both seagulls completely loose. We are here. But at the Worlds of Wonder Park on June 25th, 2017, the very thing meant to keep a rider safe caused a near disaster on a ride called The Feedback.

The Feedback is a highintensity thrill ride that offers its riders a disorienting and exhilarating experience. The attraction is built around a giant rotating central structure with several large swinging arms. As the entire ride spins like a carousel, these arms swing back and forth in a wide pendulum arc, sending riders high into the air.

At the end of each arm are the rider pods, which spin independently. This combination means passengers are simultaneously rotating in a large circle, swaying from side to side, and turning in their seats. It's the kind of ride that relies entirely on the strength of its shoulder harnesses to keep riders inside.

But on that day, one harness failed. As the ride whipped into its very first flip, a man's restraint suddenly snapped open. With nothing holding him in place, he was thrown from his seat.

Witnesses watched in horror as he slammed his head against an iron step below before tumbling helplessly into the bushes beneath the ride. Somehow, almost unbelievably, he survived with only minor injuries. Although his ordeal was over for everyone else on board, the nightmare was just beginning.

The ride did not stop. The situation grew more desperate as a second harness failed and another rider began to slip out of her seat. She was saved only when a passenger beside her managed to grab and hold on to her.

For 45 agonizing seconds, people hung suspended, praying the restraints would hold until the ride finally slowed to a halt. Witnesses say the man's wife was pleading, shouting at staff to stop the ride, but the operators ignored her. Once it ended, furious guests confronted the operator, who ran away to protect himself.

Later, a manager brushed it all off as just a technical fault, insisting no one was severely hurt. The park itself issued a statement defending its track record, saying it had given millions of people unique memories over the years and pointing out that no serious injuries had occurred. However, they admitted there were no emergency brakes on the ride due to its size and speed.

It only had an emergency switch that slowly cuts the thrust, letting it swing back and forth like a pendulum until it winds down. But the worst part, a critical failure in India's regulation itself. For years, Indian amusement parks operated without specific safety laws.

They weren't legally required to conduct safety checks, audit rides, or investigate accidents. This loophole allowed preventable disasters to happen, leaving no one directly accountable when a ride failed and people got hurt. Joker's jukebox at Six Flags New Orleans.

When we think about tragedies at amusement parks, we usually imagine massive roller coasters or those terrifying drop towers. We assume that's where the real danger lies. But at Six Flags New Orleans, the deadliest part of the park wasn't some sky-high thrill ride.

It was a small spinning attraction called Joker's Jukebox, just a few feet off the ground. On August 13th, 2003, Rosa Donaldson, 52 years old, was treating her four-year-old grandson to a summer day of fun at the amusement park. In the evening, they made their way toward their next ride, the Joker's Jukebox.

A harmless ride with 30 cars spinning on six arms. Nothing too wild. However, this perception was shattered in an instant.

Rosa, who was standing near her grandson, soon faced a horrifying accident. One of the cars whipped around and hit her in the head. Another one hit her body.

Witnesses screamed as Rosa collapsed to the ground, bleeding badly. Paramedics rushed to take her to Lakeland Medical Center, but the damage was too severe. Her pelvis had been crushed, and unfortunately, she passed away before doctors could save her.

Later investigations revealed that the grandmother had entered a restricted area to secure her grandson's harness, making sure he would be safe. Unknowingly, the operator started the ride, leaving her with no chance to escape. While her death was investigated by multiple agencies, the park's own story was far from over.

Two years later, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. The park was flooded beyond repair and permanently closed. It now stands abandoned and rotting.

A silent memorial not just to a lost landmark, but to a grandmother's last act of love. Tsunami at M andd's Scotland's theme park. On June 26, 2016, families were out enjoying the summer at M &D's theme park in Motherwell, Scotland.

Towering over everything was the tsunami, Scotland's only inverted roller coaster. It promised a dizzying thrill, swinging riders with their legs dangling free through high-speed turns. But that afternoon, something went terribly wrong.

As the roller coaster came around a bend, five of the cars suddenly detached, slamming into a support structure before plunging nearly 20 ft to the ground. The mangled wreckage landed upside down, crashing onto the toddler's ride below. What followed was chaos.

Scared children were crying, victims were screaming for help, and frantic parents searched desperately for their kids. One witness who had stepped off the very same ride just minutes before watched the disaster unfold and described the scene. It was like something out of a horror film.

In the midst of the panic, rescuers and brave bystanders worked side by side struggling to free those still trapped in their mangled seats. 10 people, including eight children, were injured. All 10 victims were transported to the hospital for treatment.

Four children remained at the Royal Hospital for Children, with one in stable condition and three others listed as serious. Among the most severely injured was a 12-year-old girl with critical head trauma. To make matters worse, it wasn't the first time something like this had happened.

Back in 2011, nine people got stuck 60 ft in the air on the same ride after the lift chain snapped. They hung there for 8 hours before being rescued. And just a few months before the 2016 crash, another ride in the park broke down midair and firefighters had to come.

After the accident, investigators started digging and what they found was shocking. It turns out the coaster had been repaired with the wrong kind of welding metal. The malfunction was totally avoidable.

In 2019, the park owners admitted to health and safety failures and got hit with a 65,000 lb fine. But for the people who were there that day, the damage was already done. The ride was taken down, and now all that's left is an empty space.

The tsunami crash was a catastrophe. But believe it or not, we're just scratching the surface. If you want to see how much worse theme park accidents can get, hit that subscribe button and let's continue to the next level.

Level three. Trailblazer at Six Flags St. Louis.

For decades, the thrill of a roller coaster ride was anchored by the safety of a seat. You sat down, you locked in, and you held on tight. A formula that worked flawlessly.

But in the 1980s, amusement parks started to experiment with a different kind of adrenaline rush by asking a radical question. What if you didn't sit at all? What if you stood?

In 1984, Six Flags Over Mid America, now called Six Flags St. Lewis eventually decided to give it a shot. They took the River King mine train and converted it into one of the first standup roller coasters in the country.

They called it Railblazer. It used the same track mostly, but the trains were swapped out for these new upright cars equipped with futuristic restraints that were supposed to keep riders standing as they flew through high-speed curves. It was marketed as state-of-the-art, but in reality, the ride barely lasted 3 weeks.

In St. Louis, Missouri, the Trailblazer Stand-Up roller coaster has not rolled one inch since Stella Hulkcom lost her life while riding it Sunday night. On July 9th, Stella Hulcom and her husband Carl were visiting from Indianapolis.

They got on the trailblazer riding in the very back row. Their teenage daughter and her boyfriend were just in front of them. But halfway through the ride, right after the second lift hill, where the train twisted into a tight spiral, Stella was gone.

According to her husband, they were holding hands when the car jerked violently, and Stella was ripped from her seat, nearly pulling him out with her. Witnesses saw her fly from the ride, hit a tree, and fall to the ground below. She died later that day.

When the train pulled back into the station, all of Stella's restraints were still locked in place. Park officials claimed she must have fainted. Maybe her body just went limp and she slipped through.

But Carl didn't buy that. His wife had no medical history like that, and the autopsy backed him up. Rumors spread fast.

Some people even pointed fingers at Carl, though there was never a shred of evidence to support that. The far likelier truth was that the Trailblazers restraints were fundamentally flawed. They could appear locked, yet they couldn't actually hold someone during the wild turns.

Trailblazer was shut down almost immediately. The stand-up cars were scrapped and the track went back to its original sit-down form. The whole experiment was over in less than a month.

Jet Star at Beach Bend Park. The safety of every amusement park rests on its maintenance crews. Before the gates open, they're checking the tracks, testing safety restraints, and checking every nut and bolt.

Just getting out of your seats. Their job is simply to make sure the rides are safe before a single ticket is scanned. But on August 30th, 1975, that routine check turned tragic for a young male employee.

His name was Mark Gaines, a 17-year-old from Herdage, Tennessee. Like so many other teens, he was working a summer job. On that morning, Mark's task was to help prepare the Jet Star coaster for the day.

For riders, the Jet Star was a compact, wild thrill, a maze of sharp turns and sudden drops. The ride's popularity was down to its speed and intensity. But for Mark, who was standing on the track during maintenance, that same speed was fatal.

As Mark bent down to remove the blocks that kept the cars in place overnight, one of the coasters cars unexpectedly swung through the track. In a split second, it slammed into him. There wasn't even time to react.

The impact caused serious head and neck injuries. Co-workers rushed over, but it was too late. Mark was taken to the hospital where doctors could only pronounce him dead on arrival.

The cause? massive head trauma and a broken neck. Although a state investigation cleared Beachbend Park of any responsibility for the incident, the park decided to close the ride permanently.

The move was a direct response to intense public fear and a loss of trust that the original verdict could not overcome. Rolling Thunder at Six Flags Great Adventure. For decades, Rolling Thunder was one of the signature rides at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey.

A towering dual tracked wooden coaster 96 ft tall with trains racing side by side at nearly 50 mph. But with more than 60 mi of Douglas fur lumber, it was a classic of its time. It was so loud it shook the ground.

People called it thrilling, terrifying, and unforgettable. But just 3 years after it was launched, tragedy struck. On August 16th, 1981, before the park even let guests in, 20-year-old Scott Tyler, who worked at the park for a few summers, got on for what should have been a routine test run.

He knew the ride well. Everyone did by then. But halfway through the ride, something terrible happened.

Tyler was ejected from the train, falling to the ground and sustaining fatal injuries. Emergency rescue rushed to the scene, but it was too late. The autopsy later showed that Tyler suffered severe head and body injuries that caused his immediate death.

Investigators quickly ruled out a mechanical failure, but the state inspectors later confirmed that the Rolling Thunder was structurally sound. It was strong and safe, and the safety bars worked just the way they were supposed to. The problem was how they were or weren't used.

What they found was more chilling. Tyler likely hadn't locked his bar. Worse, he might have been riding in what they called an unauthorized position.

Basically, he climbed out from under the safety bar, holding on with his hands as the train accelerated through the curbs. But with the speed of around 35 mph and the coaster's G forces, no grip could last. Just 2 days after the fatal accident, Rolling Thunder reopened.

Officials said the ride was safe and the tragedy was a result of human error. Rolling Thunder continued to operate until 2013. Ladybug Coaster at Adventureland Park, New York.

It looks like the safest ride in the park. Bright red cars with little black dots barely faster than walking speed with just a few tiny dips along the track. It was made for kids, the kind of ride parents don't think twice about.

But in August 2005, this gentle ride claimed a life. Steven Gray, 18 years old, had spent two summers working at Adventureland. He knew the rides well, especially the Ladybug.

That night, right before closing, he was wrapping up one last ride. Everything seemed normal until suddenly it wasn't. The Ladybug coaster was creeping back toward the loading platform at barely 5 mph when Steven somehow lost his footing and fell face down onto the track.

Before anyone could react, the front car struck him, causing severe injuries. Co-workers and guests rushed over to help. They tried desperately to lift the car by hand, but it weighed a few hundred lb and wouldn't budge.

For 10 agonizing minutes, they struggled to free him. And once he was finally extricated, paramedics rushed Steven to Nasau University Medical Center with massive internal injuries. The damage, however, was too severe and he passed away in the early hours of the morning.

Later, investigators found no mechanical issues with the ride. It worked exactly the way it was supposed to. Investigators believe Steven stepped into a spot on the track he shouldn't have.

The worst part is that Steven had complete control over the ride, but somehow, for reasons no one can really explain, he ended up in a place no operator should have been. But the park's week of horror was not over. In a truly unbelievable turn of events, another tragedy struck just one day later.

This time, a woman was ejected from an entirely different attraction, the Top Scan Ride, and she also did not survive. Wavepool tsunami at Yulong Shuyu Water Amusement Park. Wave pools are designed to mimic the ocean, safe, controlled, and predictable.

But in 2019, one water park in northeast China lost control of its machine. Instead of a ripple, it unleashed a wall of water that slammed into hundreds of swimmers, leaving 44 people injured. At the Yulong Shuyun water park in Ljing, visitors had packed into what was advertised as the biggest tsunami pool in Jilen Province.

Families were bobbing along in inflatable rings, all waiting for the wave machine to send out its next ripple. However, what came next was no ripple, not even a big splash. It was a powerful wave that overwhelmed swimmers like a mini tsunami.

In a captured video, the wave tossed people through the air like ragdolls. Swimmers were thrown against each other and smashed into the pool's concrete edges. It was pure chaos.

In total, 44 people got hurt. Five ended up in the hospital with broken ribs and other nasty injuries. Some were crushed under the wave, while others were just caught in the crowd trying to escape.

Officials later said it was a machine technical issue, an electrical fault in the wave machine's control system. At first, rumors circled online. Some claimed a drunk ride operator had cranked the settings too high for fun.

Of course, the park denied that. The local government backed them up, calling it a malfunction and shutting the pool down for repairs. But honestly, the footage speaks for itself.

What was supposed to be a family-friendly attraction turned into something out of a disaster movie in a matter of seconds. Rocky Hollow Log Ride at Dramworld. On April 17th, 2016, 19-year-old Samson Sharon and his friends got on board the Rocky Hollow Log Ride at Dramworld.

The log ride has always been seen as one of the safest attractions in the theme park. Their classic formula of winding canals, playful splashes, and a final big drop made the ride a beloved family tradition. For Samson, however, the supposed to be fun ride would end in a desperate fight for his life.

Partway through the course, Samson fell out of the boat and into the water. He panicked as he struggled to the surface, but the horror didn't end there. Other logs were bearing down on him.

He had no time to escape. Within seconds, two boats ran over him, one after the other. They struck his head, his chest, and his ribs, knocking him unconscious.

His friend saw it happen, but couldn't do anything right away. He had to finish the ride, jump off, and sprint around the course to pull Samson out himself. According to Samson's lawyer, no staff helped him.

No emergency stop, nothing. By the time they got to Samson, it appeared it might be too late. Samson suffered a fractured hip, broken ribs and ankle, head trauma, neck injuries, and nearly drowned.

He was covered in cuts, his clothes were torn, and he was barely breathing. Later, he also developed pneumonia from the water he inhaled. Fortunately, Samson lived, but the aftermath was brutal.

Samson was experiencing chronic pain, ongoing back and groin injuries, and deep psychological trauma. Even years later, he was still in counseling and still fighting Dramworld in court, claiming the park failed to protect him. Following the incident, the Rocky Hollow Log Ride was shut down, but it reopened just days later after inspectors deemed it safe.

Dramworld CEO publicly dismissed the case as an isolated incident, emphasizing the ride's spotless 34-year safety record. However, according to the Australian Workers Union, Queensland Secretary Ben Swan, union leaders had been raising red flags about poor maintenance and aging of infrastructure for a while now. But their warnings were brushed aside.

And then just 6 months later, on October 25th, 2016, Australia saw its worst theme park tragedy, the Thunder River Rapids ride malfunctioned. A raft flipped and four people were killed. For Samson Sharon, who was still recovering, the news was crushing.

He was deeply distressed by the chilling realization that his own near fatal accident has served as a warning. A warning that had it been taken seriously might have saved those four lives. Level four.

Ferris wheel at Greenville County Fair. The Greenville County Fair was a cherished community summer tradition. It's a week-long celebration of classic entertainment, fairground food, and thrilling rides.

But on the evening of August 8th, 2016, instead of a fun and memorable night, three young girls found themselves in a life-threatening accident. Kayla and Bryley Reynolds, ages 10 and six, and another 16-year-old girl were riding together in the fair's iconic ferris wheel when it suddenly flipped over. In an instant, the three girls fall from the gondola one by one, plunging more than 40 feet to the ground below.

The fair's cheerful noise turned to screams and screeching metal as the ferris wheel lurched to a stop. High above the basket the girls had fallen from dangled and flipped. And on the ground, chaos erupted.

Parents sprinted toward the ride as emergency crews rushed in. All three girls were rushed to Johnson City Medical Center that night. Two had to be flown up by helicopter while the third was taken by ambulance.

The updates from doctors were tough to hear. Kayla, 10 years old, suffered an arm injury, but nothing life-threatening. The 16-year-old, who'd first been listed in critical condition, was on track to be upgraded to stable.

However, the youngest, Bryley Reynolds, was in the worst shape. She had a severe brain injury and had to be intubated right there at the scene before she could even be transported. In the press release, investigators said the accident was caused by a mechanical failure.

They explained that the basket carrying the girls had snagged on another car, causing it to flip over. But the investigation uncovered a far more shocking truth. The ferris wheel basket had no seat belts or arm restraints to protect the riders.

According to the inspectors, these basic safety features were not required for the ride's design. They were considered voluntary, and operating a ferris wheel without them was not against the law. When asked about the status of the other rides, the inspector said it was nothing serious.

They only found minor problems such as cracks in fiberglass, most of which were quickly fixed. After the accident, the Green County Fair shut down all of its mechanical rides. While the fair itself returned the following year, it did so without its iconic ferris wheel.

Treetop Twister at Lightwater Valley. When the Treetop Twister opened at Lightwater Valley in North Yorkshire, it was hyped as a fresh modern thrill with spinning cars, sharp corners, and heartpounding near misses. It's a kind of ride that makes you feel like you might be slammed into the trees any minute.

But just three weeks after it launched in June 2001, the near miss wasn't a near miss anymore, it actually happened. On June 21st, 20-year-old Gemma Savage, a student from South Yorkshire, headed to the park with friends. It was supposed to be a fun day out.

She boarded the Twister expecting nothing more than a quick, dizzying ride. But partway through, her car smashed into another headon. Witnesses later described the impact as brutal.

According to one of her friends, Gemma slumped over, her shirt stained with blood, and her body limp. She had suffered devastating injuries to her head and neck, and passed away the next day in the hospital. Three other people were also hurt in the crash.

At first, no one could understand how this had even happened. It was a brand new high-tech ride. How could two cars possibly collide?

But as investigators dug in, the shocking truth came out. A wiring flaw in the ride's control system allowed operators to override the built-in safety mechanisms. In other words, the ride could keep going even when it absolutely shouldn't have.

Lightwater Valley blamed Reverton Industries, the French company that manufactured the ride. They argued that they designed the wiring in a way that left it dangerously vulnerable. But human error made things worse.

Operators had overridden emergency stops which ultimately caused the accident. Eventually, Lightwater Valley Attractions Limited, and an electrician admitted that they had breached health and safety laws. The park and the manufacturer were fined a combined 155,000.

The electrician was personally fined 2,500. But for Gemma's family, no amount of money could ever make up for what they lost. And that wasn't the end of the Twister's grim story.

In 2015, a young employee was nearly killed when a co-worker started the ride as a joke while she was still in the track area. Then in 2019, a 7-year-old boy fell nearly 30 feet from the same ride. Extreme at Blue Bayou and Dixie Landon.

On July 11th, 2010, 21-year-old Lindsay Zeno boarded the extreme roller coaster with her friends, ready for the dizzying, spinning thrill the ride was famous for. And on that day, the adrenaline rush the ride promised turned to terror. While the coaster spun and twisted, Lindsay was thrown off.

When the train returned to the platform and the spinning stopped, Lindsay's friends were horrified to discover her seat was empty. According to the witness, midway through the ride, Lindsay's chest restraint came loose. She tried to pull it back into place, but before she could, the train whipped into a turn and threw her 30 ft to the ground.

The crowd screamed when they realized what was happening. Some onlookers were frozen in horror, forced to watch her fall. Emergency crews rushed to the scene, but there wasn't much they could do.

Lindsay's injuries were just too severe, and she was pronounced dead shortly after. What happened next was pure confusion. The investigation, led by State Fire Marshal Butch Browning, found no mechanical failures with the ride.

The track was intact, and all the drives and electrical systems were working just fine. In fact, the coaster had passed a full inspection only a month before with zero violations. In the end, no one could say exactly what went wrong.

Officially, Lindsay's death was ruled as undetermined. Although the witness said he saw Lindsay's restraint come loose, the inspector stood by their claim that the restraint system should have held. The ride was shut down during the investigation.

But here's the thing, this wasn't the park's first safety issue. Just four years earlier, a 2-year-old boy had fallen 25 ft from the Over the Rainbow ride, breaking both his arms and legs, and there were already lawsuits on the Conjure Ride, claiming the park didn't use proper safety restraints. For Lindsay's family and friends, the silence after her death was brutal.

No closure and no clear explanation, just this question hanging in the air. How does a healthy young woman riding a modern coaster end up dead with no mechanical failure to blame? That might be the hardest part of this whole story.

Willard's Whizzer at Great America, California. The most dangerous part of a roller coaster is supposed to be the highest drop, not the station. But on March 29th, 1980, the station of the Willard's Whizzer roller coaster became a death trap.

Its break failed and led to a deadly collision. On that day, as people were waiting for their turn to board the famous Willard's Whizzer, a second train was coming in too fast with no sign of slowing down. Before they could even process what was happening, it crashed into the stationary train with a sickening crunch of metal.

The force of the impact was so brutal that riders were thrown forward and the cars buckled. According to the witness, Kyle Foss, 13 years old, was stepping into the waiting train when the second train slammed at the back. Foss was thrown into the track and run over by the oncoming train.

He was pronounced dead on arrival due to severe internal injuries. The eight other riders suffered from injuries ranging from broken bones to deep cuts. And the scariest part was that this wasn't an isolated incident.

Willard's Whizzer Coaster had breaking issues from the start. Trains had been bumping into each other in the station for years. Between 1976 and 1979, at least 11 crashes were recorded at the Santa Clara Park alone.

Most were minor scrapes, bruises, shaken nerves, but still it was a pattern. Over in Gurnie, Illinois, the other Whizzer had two crashes in 1976 right after opening. Over 30 people were hurt and yet nothing changed.

Marriott Corporation, the company behind the parks, didn't even report the hazard to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Not even after multiple accidents. It wasn't until a child died that the public found out how serious the risk had been all along.

After the 1980 tragedy, they finally made changes. They added seat belts, improved the brakes, and cut down the number of trains from 5 to three. The ride quietly dropped the Willard's part of its name, and just became Whizzer.

Marriott ended up paying a $70,000 fine for not reporting the danger earlier. California's Whizzer was taken down in 1988, but the Illinois version is still running at Six Flags Great America to this day. Wildcat at Bell's Amusement Park.

On July 7th, 1997, a roller coaster at Bell's Amusement Park in Tulsa turned fatal. The Wildcat, a small steel coaster intended for family rides, malfunctioned at the top of its lift hill. One car slipped backwards and slammed into another, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring six others in seconds.

That night, the park was packed with guests taking advantage of a 25 cent ride promotion. At around 6:00 p. m.

, one of the Wildcat cars was slowly climbing up the chain lift like usual. But as it was about to hit the top, something went wrong. The car didn't go forward.

It rolled back fast. It barreled down 45 ft of track and slammed into another car that had just begun its climb. The impact was so violent that a 14-year-old boy in the front car was thrown from the ride and hit his head on the steel structure.

Emergency responders got there quickly, but it was too late. The boy passed away on the scene. Six others were injured and rushed to St.

Francis Hospital, including two boys, also 14, a dad, his two daughters, and a family friend. Thankfully, they didn't need to stay in the hospital. No one knew right away what caused the accident.

Inspectors said the ride had passed a safety check just two weeks earlier. Robert Bell III, the park president, gave a statement calling it the first tragedy like this in Bell's 47-year history. The Wildcat Coaster was closed permanently the following month.

Level five, the Wave Pool Grave Poolool. Back in the 1980s, Action Park in New Jersey was far beyond a wild amusement park. It was borderline insane and people loved it.

One of the park's most infamous rides was the Wave Pool. Locals even nicknamed it the Grave Pool and unfortunately for a valid reason. In 1982, a 15-year-old George Lopez was enjoying the wave pool when he tragically started to drown.

Despite the lifeguards rushing to save him, he passed away. Sadly, that was only the beginning. Over the years, that dangerous pool would end up taking several more lives.

Former park employees described the pool as strong, deep, and completely unforgiving. It's massive, measuring 100x 250 ft, and was often packed with nearly a thousand people. Its waves, which could reach over 3 ft high, were generated for 20 minutes straight with only a 10-minute break.

This is four times longer than any standard wave pool. Once the waves got going, there was a spot they called the death zone where people would completely panic. We call that area the death zone.

And literally the first 30 minutes to 45 minutes sitting in the death chair, that new lifeguard would save three to four to five people. They'd flail around and grab at whoever was nearby trying to get to the ladders. Lifeguards were constantly yanking people out.

Sometimes they'd have to shut the whole thing down just to check the bottom for bodies. They had a dozen guards on duty all the time. But even that wasn't enough.

In 1987, another man, Gregory Grand Champs, drowned in the same waters. And yet, the ride kept going and people kept coming. Tower of Terror at Disneyland Paris.

On June 12th, 2011, a 12-year-old boy, Bautista Riiera, climbed aboard the Tower of Terror at Disneyland Paris. It's a kind of ride designed to rattle your nerves with ghostly illusions, dramatic lighting, and sudden stomach lurching drops. But what was supposed to be a thrill-filled memory turned into a lifechanging accident.

The ride started with flickering lights and a jolt of fake electricity zapping across the elevator doors. You hear the voice of Harrison High Totower III, a ghostly figure mocking guests as cursed fools. Then, in a flash of green light, he disappears into the shadows and the elevator begins its ominous ascent.

Riders catch eerie glimpses of haunting scenes. A creepy penthouse, a ballroom mirror that erases their reflections, and finally that haunting idol cackling before the doors slam shut. And then the drop, a nearly 200 ft of gut-wrenching freef fall.

For most, it's just a wild rush. But for Riiera, something went terribly wrong. After the ride ended, he told his father he felt sick.

Things escalated quickly. He was rushed to the parks medical center and then to Neker Hospital in Paris. By the time they got there, his upper body was already paralyzed.

Doctors found severe trauma to his spine and immediately placed him in intensive care. Disney Paris later stated the ride was working exactly as it should. There were no technical issues and all safety checks were cleared.

But for anyone who saw what happened, it didn't feel like a normal day at the park. A healthy child had stepped onto a ride and left with his life changed forever. Level six jet line at Grana.

On June 25th, 2023, the screams of joy at Stockholm's Ganaloon Amusement Park turned to terror. The Jetline roller coaster carrying 14 passengers derailed. Around 11:30 a.

m. , the roller coaster was dispatched for what seemed to be a normal run. However, some passengers who are familiar with the ride noted that the ride was bumpier than usual.

Not the fun kind. It's more like something wasn't right. From the ground, people started hearing this awful metallic screech followed by the sound of the whole ride shaking.

And then it happened. Front car flew off the track just like that. The whole train jerked to a stop, dangling about 7 m above the ground.

One of the cars was basically hanging sideways. People were screaming, grabbing onto the rails, and some were thrown right out of their seats. It was absolute chaos.

Some photos later showed people still stuck up there, gripping the ride, frozen in fear. One guy was straddling a beam below the coaster, just waiting to be rescued. Emergency responders rushed in fast.

The park was evacuated and thousands of guests had to leave. When it was finally over, the damage was heartbreaking. One woman didn't survive.

Nine others were hurt and three of them were seriously injured. The investigation reported that the catastrophic failure occurred as the train descended a sweeping curve between two brake sections. A metal control arm connecting the front wheel assemblies had snapped.

This breakage of a critical component caused the lead car to lurch downward, striking the track repeatedly, and with each violent impact, passengers were thrown forward against their lap bars, resulting in three riders being ejected from the train. Having lost critical speed, the crippled train ground to a halt in the following turn. The CEO of Gronoloon, Yan Ericson, declared June 25th a day of mourning for Gronoloon Amusement Park.

Following this, the park was closed for a full week while investigators came in. Discovery at Ascari Amusement Park. On July 15th, 2018, an excited crowd gathered at the newly opened Ascari Amusement Park in Karachi, Pakistan.

Eager to be the first to experience the rides, all eyes were on the park's newest attraction, a towering pendulum ride named Discovery. But as it swung high into the air, the ride suddenly failed, plunging the brand new park into a scene of chaos and horror. Around 7:30 p.

m. , the gondola reached nearly 40 ft in the air when a sudden explosion rang out. Eyewitnesses described a sound like a bomb going off, followed by screams as the entire ride broke apart midair.

The 16 seat pendulum slammed into the ground with terrifying force. 12-year-old Kashaf Dukar, seated alone, passed away instantly from a massive head injury. 25 others were pulled from the wreckage with shattered bones, crushed chests, and blood soaked clothes.

As chaos erupted, frantic parkgoers rushed to lift the ride's twisted steel with their bare hands. At the same time, emergency crews were trapped in the city's heavy traffic, struggling to reach the unfolding tragedy. While the immediate cause of the collapse was broken bolts that allowed the ride's ball bearings to fail, the true cause was a complete breakdown of oversight.

The Discovery Ride, an import from China, was being run on a supposed trial basis. Yet, it was operating without a safety net. 2 days before the deadly incident, the park's director openly stated that no officials had visited to inspect the ride for a simple reason.

Pakistan had no such laws. After the incident, the provincial government promised to pay for medical care for all the victims and shut down every amusement park ride in the province until technical inspections were carried out. But that was too late for Kashoff, the eldest of six siblings whose parents buried her just hours after she had begged them for a chance to ride.

Level seven, Orlando Freefall at Icon Park. On March 24th, 2022, 14-year-old Tyer Samson wanted to ride the world's tallest drop tower. He was on spring break in Orlando with his friends and teammates when he boarded the freef fall at Icon Park for a thrill.

But midway through the ride's drop, he slipped out of his seat and fell to his death. The whole incident was captured on camera as the ride lifted passengers into the 430 ft freefall tower. Witnesses recorded Ty's harness sitting dangerously loose.

Seconds later, when the ride dropped, Ty slipped out. He fell more than 300 ft, landing face down on the pavement. He was pronounced dead at the scene, but the shocking video went viral online.

In it, you can even hear the staff on the ride asking, "Did you check the seat belt? " and another answering, "The lights on. " I don't know.

But that light was never telling the full story. His harness wasn't really locked. Investigators found out Ty was 6'5 and over 380 lb.

The ride manual clearly said no riders above 287 lbs. Other rides had already turned him away that night, but freef fall let him on. Investigators later found out why.

His seat had been manually altered. Someone had loosened the harness sensor, tricking the ride's safety system into thinking it was locked. Both indicator lights glowed green even though tire was never secure.

The worst part, the worker who was running the ride had been on the job for just 3 days, and he was instructed to trust the lights. There were no posted weight limits, no scale at the entrance, no clear rules about when to say no. The autopsy later confirmed Blunt Force trauma as the cause of death.

His family's lawyer explained in the harshest, clearest way how companies tweaked the seats so bigger people could ride and tires life was traded for a $35 ticket. The family sued the rid's owner, Eagle Drp Slingshot, and Icon Park. They were awarded $310 million.

In 2023, the freef fall tower was taken down. Nekiad Tire's mom stood right there watching the ride get demolished. Big Dipper at Kug Park.

On July 24th, 1930, what began as a normal hot summer day at Kug Park in Omaha turned to tragedy. The Big Dipper, a massive 75- ft tall wooden coaster, suffered a catastrophic failure that would cement its name in history. By around 7:40 p.

m. , 23 riders boarded the coaster in four connected cars and began the slow rattling pull up the first incline. But halfway up, disaster struck.

A brake shoe on the lead car shook loose and fell onto the track. And before anyone could blink, the car jolted sideways, smashing through the wooden guard rail, pulling the other three cars behind it. What made it worse was that the fall wasn't instant.

Riders had a few terrifying seconds to realize what was happening. Witnesses said the victims were screaming and praying, one on top of the other as people tugged desperately at their seat belts. One survivor even shared that she thought just for a split second about jumping, but there was nowhere to go.

Moments later, all four cars dropped 35 ft to the ground. The crash was brutal. Four lives were lost on the spot.

Charles Stout crushed beneath the wreckage. Glattis Lungren, 15-year-old Ruth Frell, and Tony Politica. 17 others were gravely injured.

Investigators discovered the tragedy was entirely preventable. The brake shoe had places for five bolts, but only two were used, one of which had already been worked loose. When it struck the wooden cross beams, it tore away the remaining support.

Inspectors also found rotted cross beams and splintered rails so decayed they could be crumbled by hand. After the tragedy, the victims filed the lawsuit, but the financial compensation was pitiful. A mere $35,000 was split amongst all the victims, and many never even saw a scent of it.

The Big Dipper was torn down two years later and Omaha banned roller coasters outright. Stained by the disaster, Kug Park itself closed for good in 1940. If you want to see more real stories of theme park rides that went from thrills to tragedies, make sure you hit subscribe.

We've got even darker disaster videos coming next.